§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has any plans to ban the sale of Skoal Bandits in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanThe Government have proposed a total ban on the supply of all oral snuff products, including Skoal Bandits. On 7 August this proposal was notified to the European Commission and the GATT secretariat in accordance with our international obligations. EC member states have until 9 November to let us have any views on the proposal, but this deadline can be extended if there are objections or if the Commission wishes to bring forward its own proposals for the Community as a whole. The Government will reach a final decision on whether to proceed to a ban as quickly as possible once this procedure has been completed.